feat(automations): simplify empty state to a single "from scratch" card by rbren · Pull Request #736 · OpenHands/agent-canvas

rbren · 2026-05-22T16:28:03Z

Fixes #732.

Confirmed working!

What changed

The automations zero state duplicated the "Start from a proven workflow" section that already sits below the list. This PR removes the redundant empty-state UI and replaces it with a single, action-oriented card:

Remove the database icon + "No automations configured" header.
Remove the "How to create an automation" sub-header.
Remove the "Using Claude Code or Codex" option (and the Install the OpenHands plugin link). The OpenHands plugin command is now surfaced inside the remaining card.
Rework the remaining card to "Create an automation from scratch". It still shows /openhands-automation create as a code block and links to the docs.
Wire up the button: clicking "Start a conversation" now creates a new conversation and pre-fills the prompt with /openhands-automation create, using the same draft-message pattern as RecommendedAutomationsLauncher (setPendingTaskDraft / setConversationState + setMessageToSend). Previously it was a plain <NavigationLink to="/"> that didn't pre-fill anything.

The "Start from a proven workflow" section continues to render below the card, so the empty state now offers two clear paths: pick a recommended template or start from scratch.

Also drops the now-unused collapsible prop on CreateInstructions (it was only used by the previous two-option empty state) and the obsolete EmptyState component.

Translation key changes

Added: AUTOMATIONS$CREATE_FROM_SCRATCH_TITLE, AUTOMATIONS$CREATE_FROM_SCRATCH_DESC (all 15 supported languages).
Removed (no longer referenced): AUTOMATIONS$EMPTY, AUTOMATIONS$EMPTY_HOW_TO_CREATE_TITLE, AUTOMATIONS$EMPTY_OPTION_PLUGIN_TITLE, AUTOMATIONS$EMPTY_OPTION_PLUGIN_DESC, AUTOMATIONS$EMPTY_INSTALL_PLUGIN, AUTOMATIONS$EMPTY_OPTION_CONVERSATION_TITLE, AUTOMATIONS$EMPTY_OPTION_CONVERSATION_DESC.
Kept: AUTOMATIONS$EMPTY_START_CONVERSATION, AUTOMATIONS$EMPTY_LEARN_MORE.

Test changes

Removed __tests__/components/automations/create-instructions.test.tsx. It asserted that the "Start a conversation" element was a SPA <Link> calling navigate("/") — the new component uses a <button> that creates a conversation via the existing mutation hooks, which are covered by RecommendedAutomationsLauncher's tests.
The Playwright snapshot tests/e2e/snapshots/automations.snapshot.spec.ts ("no automations shows empty state") will produce a new screenshot on first run — the empty-state baseline needs to be regenerated.

Verification

npm run build ✓
npx tsc --noEmit — no new errors (one pre-existing error in src/hooks/mutation/conversation-mutation-utils.ts is unchanged).
npx eslint / npx prettier --check on touched files ✓

This PR was created by an AI agent (OpenHands) on behalf of @rbren.

🐳 Docker images for this PR

• GHCR package: https://github.com/OpenHands/agent-canvas/pkgs/container/agent-canvas

Component	Value
Image	`ghcr.io/openhands/agent-canvas`
Architectures	amd64, arm64
Agent Server	`ghcr.io/openhands/agent-server:1.23.0-python`
Automation	`openhands-automation==1.0.0a3`
Commit	`69132bee1822fee4418fa46899155fbdab3370e7`

Pull (multi-arch manifest)

# Multi-arch manifest — Docker automatically pulls the correct architecture
docker pull ghcr.io/openhands/agent-canvas:sha-69132be

Run

docker run -it --rm \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  ghcr.io/openhands/agent-canvas:sha-69132be

All tags pushed for this build

ghcr.io/openhands/agent-canvas:sha-69132be-amd64
ghcr.io/openhands/agent-canvas:fix-automations-zero-state-amd64
ghcr.io/openhands/agent-canvas:pr-736-amd64
ghcr.io/openhands/agent-canvas:sha-69132be-arm64
ghcr.io/openhands/agent-canvas:fix-automations-zero-state-arm64
ghcr.io/openhands/agent-canvas:pr-736-arm64
ghcr.io/openhands/agent-canvas:sha-69132be
ghcr.io/openhands/agent-canvas:fix-automations-zero-state
ghcr.io/openhands/agent-canvas:pr-736

About Multi-Architecture Support

Each tag (e.g., sha-69132be) is a multi-arch manifest supporting both amd64 and arm64
Docker automatically pulls the correct architecture for your platform
Individual architecture tags (e.g., sha-69132be-amd64) are also available if needed

…rd (#732) The automations zero state duplicated the 'Start from a proven workflow' section that already sits below the list. Remove the database icon and 'No automations configured' header, and collapse the two-option 'How to create an automation' panel down to a single 'Create an automation from scratch' card. Clicking the button now opens a new conversation pre-filled with `/openhands-automation create` (reusing the same draft-message pattern as RecommendedAutomationsLauncher) so the plugin command runs immediately. The 'Start from a proven workflow' section continues to sit below the card, giving users two clear paths from the empty state: pick a recommended template, or start from scratch. Fixes #732 Co-authored-by: openhands <openhands@all-hands.dev>

vercel · 2026-05-22T16:28:09Z

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Project	Deployment	Actions	Updated (UTC)
agent-canvas	Ready	Preview, Comment	May 22, 2026 5:36pm

all-hands-bot

Good simplification removing redundant UI, but there's a state management bug that needs fixing.

Was this automated review useful? React with 👍 or 👎 to this review to help us measure review quality.
Workflow run: https://github.com/OpenHands/agent-canvas/actions/runs/26299592052

Addresses the all-hands-bot review on PR #736: the in-flight guard was only released on error. If `navigate` resolved to the default noop (no NavigationProvider in the tree), the component would stay mounted and the button would be permanently disabled. Reset the ref at the end of onSuccess so the button stays usable. Co-authored-by: openhands <openhands@all-hands.dev>

all-hands-bot

Clean simplification that removes redundant UI and makes the empty state functional.

Was this automated review useful? React with 👍 or 👎 to this review to help us measure review quality.
Workflow run: https://github.com/OpenHands/agent-canvas/actions/runs/26302704076

github-actions · 2026-05-22T17:43:18Z

📸 Snapshot Test Report

Warning

Snapshot comparison step crashed (timeout, OOM, or runner error) — diff results below may be incomplete or absent.
Check the CI logs for the full error output (look for the "Run snapshot comparison" step).

✅ 5 snapshots changed — acknowledged via the update-snapshots label. New baselines will be uploaded when this PR merges.

Category	Count
🔴 Changed	5
🆕 New	0
✅ Unchanged	68
Total	73

🔴 Changed snapshots (5)

`automations` — 4 snapshots

automations-delete-modal

Expected (main)	Actual (PR)	Diff

automations-list-active-inactive

Expected (main)	Actual (PR)	Diff

automations-no-automations

Expected (main)	Actual (PR)	Diff

automations-search-no-results

Expected (main)	Actual (PR)	Diff

`backends-extended`

backend-after-switch

Expected (main)	Actual (PR)	Diff

✅ Unchanged snapshots (68)

archived-conversation

conversation-panel-with-archived-badges
conversation-view-archived
conversation-view-sandbox-error

backends-extended

backend-add-blank-disabled
backend-add-cloud-advanced-open
backend-add-cloud-no-key-disabled
backend-add-cloud-with-key-enabled
backend-add-form-partially-filled
backend-add-invalid-url-disabled
backend-add-local-ready
backend-add-name-only-disabled
backend-add-two-column-layout
backend-add-whitespace-host-disabled
backend-cancel-nothing-saved
backend-dropdown-two-backends
backend-edit-prefilled
backend-manage-after-removal
backend-manage-two-listed
backend-remove-cancelled
backend-remove-confirmation
backend-switch-overlay

backends

backend-add-modal
backend-manage-modal
backend-selector-open

changes-tab

changes-deleted-file
changes-diff-viewer
changes-empty

collapsible-thinking

reasoning-content-collapsed
reasoning-content-expanded
think-action-collapsed
think-action-expanded

mcp-page

mcp-custom-server-1-editor-open
mcp-custom-server-2-url-filled
mcp-custom-server-3-all-filled
mcp-custom-server-4-installed
mcp-custom-server-editor
mcp-empty-installed
mcp-search-filtered
mcp-slack-install-1-marketplace
mcp-slack-install-2-modal
mcp-slack-install-3-filled
mcp-slack-install-4-installed

onboarding

onboarding-step-0-choose-agent
onboarding-step-1-check-backend
onboarding-step-2-setup-llm
onboarding-step-3-say-hello

projects-workspace-browser

projects-workspace-browser

settings-page

add-backend-modal
analytics-consent-modal
home-screen
settings-app-page
settings-page

settings-secrets

secrets-add-form-filled
secrets-add-form
secrets-after-save
secrets-delete-confirm
secrets-list

settings-verification

condenser-settings
verification-settings-off
verification-settings-on

sidebar

sidebar-collapsed
sidebar-conversation-panel
sidebar-filter-menu

skills-page

skills-empty
skills-loaded
skills-no-match
skills-search-filtered
skills-type-filter

Generated by the Snapshot Tests workflow. This comment was created by an AI agent (OpenHands) on behalf of the repo maintainers.

all-hands-bot reviewed May 22, 2026

View reviewed changes

Comment thread src/components/features/automations/create-instructions.tsx

rbren added the update-snapshots Intentional snapshot changes — CI diff check bypassed; new baselines uploaded on merge label May 22, 2026

github-actions Bot added a commit that referenced this pull request May 22, 2026

snapshot images for PR #736 run 26301766496

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vercel Bot deployed to Preview May 22, 2026 17:15 View deployment

github-actions Bot added a commit that referenced this pull request May 22, 2026

snapshot images for PR #736 run 26301784850

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rbren requested a review from all-hands-bot May 22, 2026 17:35

Merge branch 'main' into fix/automations-zero-state

69132be

vercel Bot deployed to Preview May 22, 2026 17:36 View deployment

all-hands-bot approved these changes May 22, 2026

View reviewed changes

github-actions Bot added a commit that referenced this pull request May 22, 2026

snapshot images for PR #736 run 26302709493

970272a

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